HYDERABAD, Aug 8: The district Nazim, Hyderabad, Dr Makhdoom Rafiquzzaman, has directed the Hyderabad Development Authority to ensure completion of the Greater Hyderabad Sewerage Project in two years.

He issued the directive at a meeting to review the Annual Development Programme held at the Shahbaz Hall on Thursday.

Expressing concern over the delay in completion of Greater Hyderabad Sewerage Project, the district Nazim said that the project, which was launched in 1987, was still only halfway.

He said that had this project been completed Hyderabad would not have been in tatters during the recent rainfall.

He asked the director general, HDA, Ali Ahmed Lund, to prepare a comprehensive component-wise report of the project.

The project director, Water Supply and Sewerage, Syed Qurban Ali Shah Bukhari, while briefing the meeting, said that though the project had been launched in the year 1987 at an estimated cost of Rs980 million, till date only Rs485 million were released by the financing agencies as such the work progress of the project was 50 per cent.

He said that the project comprises seven components, out of which three had been completed and handed over to the organization concerned.

He said that the work was in progress on the remaining four components of the project, which will be completed within two years.

The district Nazim, Dr Makhdoom Rafiquzzaman, said that the annual allocation of Rs334.60 million has been granted for 73 on-going annual development schemes in the district for the financial year 2003-2004 which includes Rs181.27 million for six development schemes of physical planning, Rs9.30 million for six schemes of rural development, Rs85.62 million for 25 schemes of education, Rs27.93 million for seven schemes of health department and Rs30.49 million for 29 abandoned schemes in addition to Rs71.25 million against development schemes of block allocation for the year 2002-2003 and Rs24.15 million for schemes of block allocation for the year 2003-2004.

While discussing progress on the work for the last financial year, the district Nazim informed the meeting that annual allocation of Rs171.28 million were released during the period for 60 on-going development schemes, including seven of HDA, one PHED, nine rural development, 29 education, eight health, four culture and tourism, and one each of social welfare and block allocation but only Rs125.72 million were utilized due to cold response from the officers.